Online Anonymity? Don't Bet On It

12/7/2012 6:27PM

Research conducted by the Journal on the practices of more than a thousand websites shows that the border between our public and private lives is blurring still more. Reporter Jennifer Valentino-DeVries discusses the issue with Weekend Review Editor Gary Rosen.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... we all know that our online shopping leaves a trail behind this but most of us assume there's some level of privacy with that ... we assume that our names can be attached to our browsing history and other personal information but that may not be a safe assumption ... we are here today with said Jennifer Valentino DeVries ... the reporter here to journal and Jennifer you've been involved in this the interesting project to try to figure out what's going on so first ... tell us about the research you've done to see what actually happens when you go to all these different websites ... the number of ... technological changes and ... over the past couple of years that have made it much easier to ... hide your identity to your browsing the heater so we looked at a couple of things actually one of the things he did with Sam ... the cat popular websites where ... you can watch and register need in ignorance ... and what a lot of people don't realize is when you put information into forums online ... here registering for say and so forth ... that information can be shared ... with a number of different companies and basically the way this computer code works ... at a ... unique company that has Colin on that page saw an advertisement or something along those lines ... can get the information they are pretty means that for me unless the site active median ... take steps to stop that so we only way that you should you should not think you're alone ... no Windows seven and Samsung ... and other safe in a very good job of preventing this sort of say in fact most outstanding buyouts and ... to secure a as seen fit to kind of an SEC teams here and say it's ... and that may not be the Number one knows he's saying on ... on the one and ... I'm ... we see more of this sharing going on had me ... much attention being needs to you whether people can access this or not so in a practical way what does that mean for me as a consumer sign out there I search around I'm looking for safe car that means that we have in this piece that we have on the cover of weekend Revue ... I'm shopping for particular make of car among line someone's going to dealerships how would this kind of tracking behavior affect that ... I think what you need to keep in mind is that ... you need to provide year of the old theme for email and chats in every circumstance and you should be really careful about what you share online and think about whether ... he'd become tool if that person ... I hate knowing your real world team as well and what you've been sitting on the way ... I'm so a lot and is just ... being cognizant of the fact that this is happening and that's ... because we scare so much now I know that when the things we looked at was piano ... proliferation and ... social networking buttons and widgets on my Nano Ryan as he didn't share this treat this and and ... and and there I and we found sad that three quarters of websites now yes and no I thought those very interesting so as you explain it in the piece ... if you're on a website some sort of commercial website and may have ... functionality for Facebook or Twitter and because of that ... there's a very good chance that some of your personal information about what you're interested in what you're shopping for can be associated with your your ... personal information in your Twitter account ... right so why his company is Sam ... Facebook Google and Twitter ... they are very ... aware of privacy concerns said the definitely take steps to protecting people's information but I think what a lot of people don't realize is that if you are signed into one of the social network's ... even if you don't have an ... open ... man on the actual Keynesian looking at and you go to another site that has this bought an ... eight and register ... a year and killing their team even if you don't click the button that says Amy Chen the way I'd be where I it's just in the background you're happy being invisibly ... a lot of people think while ... you know ... of course if he gets this didn't mean for me sand but only if right click ... that's not the case and ... so I think that's really important for people to now so again we conduct Mark Carney example so I've been looking for as with this guy and in the piece of BMW sport utility vehicle and and I walk in I think I'm at the end of the dealership in and see what they've gotten on assessing them but there's a pretty good chance that they know what about me and my interest inside that ... vehicle were classes in ... one ... narrow and number of things that you if you give them your knee if you've never had any interaction with family you've given them your email address or clicks on an e mail that the Seine or something like that ... it is quite difficult to ... tie Mr. disinformation back to you know um but if you how to stand back and simply ... they might know things about usage is where they are serious shopper or not ... I am for ... new ... calculations based on where you live and for example there are other companies and pay fifty that's her thing and and and and and for me since to ... be in Karen state you get into ... bed the store owner and the dealer said for what have you and ... and so they can no more Value thingy seeing a genuine contest even then you need in your e mail address ... and they can actually use Macs ... Sue ... learn more about when yet anyway your demographic info on this ... thing was beginning to see a aren't going away yet and ... I mean it's really interesting the way that this has progressed over time ... I mean the ECB day ... at the old joke was that you and nobody knows your time on the internet ... and no ... um ... the new year Autonomy Mayor names of body and know where yet and then looking into to insulate the now actually quite a bit of the year and ... and it's a question of why it's ... it means Benz to be the honesty and ... a lot of the companies we spoke with ... they see that they're tacky his anonymous and it's ... what's fascinating to me as a reporter is getting down to one point and condition have an honest I is for people right ... and and at this point I'm honestly not sure right so very different definitions ... of resulting in very different ... privacy standards and a all the that that worries ... me ... very good are I Jennifer Valentino DeVries thank you for joining us here ... for Wall Street Journal weekend Revue I'm Gary Rosen ...